


The Next Step

by sauvignonfierce



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-13 12:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sauvignonfierce/pseuds/sauvignonfierce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abigail makes the next step in her life- going to college. The decision isn't easy on Will or Hannibal, who find themselves afraid of losing her. Nice, easy, fluffy murder family fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Next Step

        Abigail was in the backseat of Hannibal’s car, fidgeting with the scarf around her neck worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Will had his eyes closed in the passenger seat, not asleep, just resting, while Hannibal drove and occasionally glanced to look at Abigail in the back.

        “You’re going to bite through your lip if you’re not careful, Abigail,” Hannibal warned. Will’s lips turned up in a small smile, eyes still closed, head resting on the seat.

        “Sorry, I’m just really nervous,” she said, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror. He smiled at her, and she looked out the window, taking deep breaths. “What if I’m not ready?” She asked.

        “We have been over this. You need to get on with your life, it’s been almost a year and the progress you’ve made has been substantial.” She nodded and retied her scarf.

        “You’re ready, Abigail,” Will assured her, turning in his seat to look at her. “We’re proud of you for making this step. If it was too fast, we’d ask you to wait a bit longer, but it’s the right time. You know it is.” She smiled at Will. She might have had a deeper connection with Hannibal immediately, because of Nick Boyle, but Will had gotten under her skin in a way Hannibal could not. He had always been hesitant to get too close to her, to touch her, to see her point of view. Once he had let himself, their bond solidified.

        “We’re here,” Hannibal said, as they passed a sign for “Riverside College”.

        Abigail took a deep breath and looked at the woods surrounding them. The college was a small liberal arts school, tucked into the woods, with old stone buildings and a river cutting directly through the campus. Will had found a brochure about it while he was helping Abigail look at schools, and the woods comforted her, reminded her of her childhood. At first he was worried it was something of a regression, going back to the woods after living the past eight months with him and Hannibal.

        But Hannibal had assured him it was normal, and that the fact that she could be in the woods without getting violent flashbacks to her father was an incredible step. She was at peace with what had happened, and she had decided not to cut out that part of her life completely. She had fallen in love with the campus the first time Will took her to visit. The other students were friendly, the buildings were nice, and it seemed like a relaxing environment. He was hesitant to let her go anywhere more than an hour from either Baltimore of Wolf Trap, but she insisted that the two hour drive from either place was perfect, because it would give her freedom, but still allow her to visit regularly. After Hannibal talked him into it, he grew fond of the campus as well.

        Ten minutes and some careful navigating later, they found Royce Hall, where Abigail would be living. She got out of the car, her nerves now teetering precariously on the edge of a burst of energy. Hannibal reached over and put his hand on Will’s knee.

        “Are you going to be able to handle this?” He asked. Will put his hand on top of Hannibal’s, squeezing it reassuringly. Before Abigail and Hannibal had entered his life, he had not been remotely comfortable with that kind of physical contact. Now, he found himself craving it on occasion, needing to feel Hannibal’s skin on his, lips on his neck, his cheek, anywhere. Sometimes, Abigail fell asleep at night next to him on the couch, her head resting on his shoulder, and he breathed in the smell of her shampoo, felt the soft curve of her body against his, and felt at peace.

        “I’ll be fine. This is about Abigail, not me,” he said, making fleeting eye contact with Hannibal and moving to get out of the car. The two men took Abigail’s bags, filled with more books than clothing.

        “What if my roommate thinks I’m a freak?” She asked suddenly, as they walked towards the door. She fiddled with the keycard in her hand. She’d been holding on to it for a week, since it came in the mail, excited and terrified to finally get to use it.

        “Nobody’s going to think you’re a freak,” Will assured her.

        “But what if she knows who I am? Who my father was? If she wants to change rooms, then nobody will-“ Hannibal looked at her with one eye brow raised and she stopped talking. “Sorry. You’re right. It’s going to be fine.”

        Hannibal spotted a security guard and handed the bag he was holding to Will, who groaned at the added weight “I’m going to go ask about security policy around here. If it’s not up to my standards, I’m not above patrolling campus myself,” he said. Abigail covered her face.

        “Hannibal, you don’t have to! I’m sure the security guards know what they’re doing!” She insisted, grabbing his hand to stop him from going. He put his hands on her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

        “Will and I are your legal guardians, Abigail. You are our responsibility, and I do not take that responsibility lightly.” She knew that arguing was a lost cause. Besides, she’d rather have Hannibal try to discuss security policies than Will. Hannibal had a calming effect on everyone, while Will would just get flustered and angry and end up getting nowhere. As Hannibal walked away, Will and Abigail exchanged glances and both laughed. They lugged her bags up the two flights of stairs to her room. There was a placard on the door that said “ABIGAIL HOBBS. JENNIFER PARKER.”

        “Looks like you’re rooming with one Jennifer Parker. Shame it’s such a common name,” Will said, putting her bags on her bed.

        “Why?” Abigail asked, sitting down. He stood in front of her, hands in his pockets, glasses sliding down his nose.

        “Harder to do a background check on her and her family,” he explained.

        “Will….you’re as bad as Hannibal.”

        “I think I might be worse.” He put his hand on her head and smiled. They made her bed, light blue sheets with white flowers, with matching pillowcases and comforter (a gift from Alana). The door, left open, was pushed wider and another girl walked in, with only one suitcase. Her blonde hair was short, she had a tattoo winding up her arm and a smile on her face.

        “You must be Abigail,” she said, sticking out her hand.

         “Jennifer?”

        “Jen’s fine!” Jen set her suitcase on her bed and began unpacking her clothes.

        “Jen, this is…” Abigail trailed off, never sure how to introduce Will and Hannibal to people. Father? Savior? Lover? Nothing seemed in any way appropriate or accurate.

        “I’m Will,” he said, nodding to the girl. “Nice to meet you.”

        Will shuffled awkwardly. “I’m going to find where Hannibal’s disappeared off to. I’ll be back,” he said, leaving the room.

        “Abby, your dad’s hot,” Jen said with a grin, sitting on her unmade bed. Abigail laughed.

        “He’s not my dad,” she said.

        “Ooh, boyfriend?”

        “No! He’s one of my legal guardians. I don’t….I don’t have a dad anymore.”

        “Oh,” Jen said, looking a little uncomfortable.

        “Not a great topic for a first conversation,” Abigail said, feeling a bit dejected. “Where are you from?” She asked, lightening the mood.

        “New York City,” Jen said.

        “Wow, that’s pretty different from the middle of the woods in Virginia.” Jen smiled.

        “That’s the point! What about you?”

        “Minnesota originally. But I’ve been living in Baltimore and a little town in Virginia for the past year.”

        “With your guardians?” Jen asked. Abigail nodded.

        “Will lives in Virginia, and my other guardian lives in Baltimore, so I split my time between them.”

        “So they aren’t like, your aunt and uncle?” Abigail smiled and shook her head. There was a time when she would have wished for an aunt and uncle to take her in, but both her parents had been only children. At first, the idea of living with Will and Hannibal had scared her, worsening her nightmares and making her ache for her mother and even her father. But now, there was nothing in her mind that could be better than living with Will and Hannibal, having a family like none she’d ever imagined before.

        “It’s…a long story, but I’m not related to either one of them.”

        “You’ll have to tell me about it tonight then!” Jen said. Abigail nodded enthusiastically. She liked Jen. Jen reminded her a bit of Alana when she’d first met her, all easy smiles and easier conversation.

        “So is your other guardian Will’s…wife? Or girlfriend?” Abigail started to shake her head, but stopped. She was so used to defending the relationship between Will and Hannibal as just friends and colleagues, until when Jack had caught them in Hannibal’s office (a location Will had been surprised Hannibal had suggested to have sex), and the cat was out of the bag. Hannibal had been replaced as Will’s psychiatrist, but they continued to work cases together.

        “It’s….a complicated relationship, but they’re partners,” she said, liking the sound of the phrase.

        “Partners,” Jen repeated. “So, your other guardian is a guy?”

        “Yeah. He should be up soon. I’m going to apologize now, because he can get ridiculously protective of me, so if he starts grilling you on anything, I’ll stop him.” Jen laughed.

        “I’ll hold you to that. I get cagey under pressure.” At that moment, Will and Hannibal entered the room, arguing under their breath.

        “We’re not hiring private security,” Will said angrily. “That’s an invasion of privacy, not a protection of it.”

        “ _Private security?_ ” Abigail said, jumping up from her bed. “You can’t be serious.”

        “He’s not hiring private security,” Will assured her. Hannibal looked sullen, and Abigail knew he wouldn’t be dropping the subject any time soon. She looked at Will pleadingly. He returned her look, letting her know it’d be fine.

        “I’m sorry, I’ve been terribly rude. You must be Jennifer,” Hannibal said, putting his hand out for Jen. She smiled and took it, looking over his perfectly tailored gray suit, powder blue shirt and deep purple tie. “Hannibal Lecter,” he said, as they shook hands.

        “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, glancing at Abigail. He dropped her hand and gestured to Abigail. She followed him into the hallway.

        “Please don’t hire security for me. I’m going to be fine. Nobody’s coming after me, and if they do, you’ve taught me to take care of myself,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. He smiled at her, unmistakable pride shining through his eyes.

        “I’m sorry. I may be a bit over protective right now. It’s hard to see you go.” She dropped her arms and took his hands in hers.

        “I know. It’s hard to go. I…I need to ask you something,” she said nervously. He tilted his head slightly, adopting his psychiatric air. “What do I tell her, my roommate. She’ll see my scar, she’ll ask me why you and Will are my guardians, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

        “Tell her the truth,” he said. “Lying to someone who is bound to become an integral part of your newfound adulthood can only cause problems. However, you don’t have to tell her everything, not right away, and not ever if you don’t feel comfortable. Tell her your father is dead, but you don’t have to tell her who he was or what he did. It is entirely up to you.” She nodded.

        “What if she wants to move out? What if she tells everyone about me and I can’t make friends…” He pulled her to him. She remembered the first time he hugged her, in the kitchen when the secrets she’d kept bottled up for so long came spilling out. He kissed the top of her head.

        “You’re going to be fine. If things don’t work out, Will and I always here. Always. No matter what.” She took a shaky breath.

        “You know, I thought it was fucked up at first that you and Will wanted to be my fathers, I didn’t understand it. And then when….when things developed physically between the three of us….I understood it. I never really thought about having to leave you and Will, until now.” The thing she liked about Hannibal the most was that she could talk about their relationship openly. Will would get uncomfortable if they spoke about the three of them, feeling like he was violating his code of ethics by even acknowledging their relationship out loud.

        Hannibal was more open, despite his buttoned up exterior. They could discuss things she hadn’t been comfortable with before, even though she had been the one to instigate their relationship. She remembered that night, when the nightmares had gotten so bad she had woken Hannibal up. He sat in bed with her, holding her to his chest until she brought her lips to meet his. She hadn’t known about him and Will, not officially until then. But they’d brought her into their relationship, into their bed, and things unfolded in the most natural path, even though it shouldn’t have.

        “We’re going to miss you, too, Abigail.” He glanced at the door, making sure they were out of view from Jen. He kissed her gently, nothing more than a press of his lips to hers, his fingers weaving through her dark hair. He straightened up, swiping his thumb over her damp pink lips affectionately. He put his arm over her shoulder and led her back into the room, saving Will from attempting to make small talk with Jen. Both looked relieved at their re-entrance.

        “I suppose we will leave you now,” Hannibal said, removing his arm from around her shoulders. Will’s eyes were upset, but he was trying to keep his composure for Abigail’s sake. She swallowed hard, seeing his brow furrow, and threw her arms around him tightly. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair.

        “I’m going to miss you,” he said quietly. “Call us as often as you can.” She nodded.

         “I’m going to miss you too, Will.” She was trying not to cry, trying to take in everything about him that she could- the better cologne Hannibal had bought for him, the dingy blue plaid shirt, the corduroy pants with the frayed cuff- everything. He let her go, a sad smile on his face.

        She turned to Hannibal and hugged him again, curling her fingers around the short hairs at the nape of his neck, letting him hold her. He pulled her back and looked into her eyes, telling her everything she needed to know. He winked and stepped back. He nodded to Jen, who waved a little awkwardly.

        The two men left, and Abigail sat on her bed. “So, you guys have a pretty close relationship?” Jen asked.

        “You could say that. They’ve been…well, I wouldn’t be here without them.” She fiddled with her scarf, and then decided to untie it. She saw Jen’s eyes widen at the scar on her neck. “It’s okay, you can ask,” she said.

        “What happened?”

        “If I tell you, will you promise not to freak out?” Jen didn’t look scared or worried, just intrigued.

        “I promise.”

        “Have you ever heard of the Minnesota Shrike?”

 

        In the car, Will couldn’t sit still. He unbuttoned and rebuttoned his shirt sleeves until Hannibal reached over to stop him.

        “The sleeves aren’t going anywhere, Will.”

        “Are we doing the right thing?” He asked quickly.

        “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from psychiatry, it’s that there is no such thing as certainty. Theoretically, this is good for Abigail, and good for us. In practice, it might end up being for the worse, but we can’t know, and we can’t guess. We must let events unfold.”

        “Can’t you be irrational for one second and join me in worrying about our….whatever she is to us, Hannibal.” Hannibal smiled and took Will’s hand as he drove.

        “I am worried, Will. I’m just better at hiding it.”


End file.
